Hippie Radio To Debut In Nashville

Update 5:00pm: “Hippie Radio 94.5” debuted at 3pm with The Beatles’ Revolution. Chris Lucky has been named Program Director and morning host. Market legend Spider Harrison (formerly of 1510 WLAC) will hold an airshift as well. Mark McGill and Keith Harris round out the airstaff.

Kensington, led by former Federated Media COO Tony Richards, acquired what was then Christian 94.5 WFGZ Lobelville from Grace Broadcasting for $1.825 Million last October. The station has completed its move in to Bellevue where it will operate with 5.1kW serving the western half of the Nashville market from approximately 17 miles west of downtown.

Billed as “Radio For Baby Boomers”, the Hippie Radio brand is licensed by Radio Branding Solutions targeting 45-60 year olds with music primarily from 1964-1973, which skews it a little older than most current Classic Hits stations including Cumulus’ 97.1 WRQQ.

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Lance Venta is the Owner and Publisher of RadioInsight.com and a consultant for RadioBB Networks specializing in integration of radio and the internet. Lance has two decades of experience tracking the audio industry and its use of digital platforms.

5 Comments

From my housee in SE Davidson County (the county where Nashville is located), I get nothing but static on 94.5. But it should be able to reach a decent-sized audience on the west side of Nashville, and I wish Kensington good luck with the new station.

The signal of WHPY 94.5 is weak here in Gallatin. I can’t pick up in the house because of 94.7 in Cookeville bleeding on top of them. I can get it in the car, parked out in my garage. This reminds me of trying to get WQQK 92Q in Bellevue. A class “A” FM Signal at 6 KW will only go so far.

I’m no expert, and don’t really care, but I think Cumulus (with still control over 97.1 WRQQ in Trust) will fire back at them. Just my two cents worth.

Yes, I just found that out last week. I heard a rumor that 92Q has been sold, but to who, I haven’t a clue. Listening to this station this afternoon is different that 97.1, WRQQ.

What bugs me, and I question, when we started talking about “Classic Hits”, they refer to the term “BabyBoomers”, and this format target demo is 45 to 60. Heck I am 48, and back 15 years ago, they industry was still using the term, “BabyBoomers” for Oldies Formatted Stations.

Take a look around us now, heck there are more babies that have popped out than in the 1940’s-1970! Turn on MTV and watch “Teen Mom”, go to Section 8 housing all around the Nashville Market, there are more babies being born now, than back from 1940-1970!

Gee, that “BabyBoomer” word needs to go away when refering to a Classic Hits/Pop Format. The population of the U.S. is has gotten bigger, and babies being born in this country by the minute!

If I was a betting man, I think you will hear 97.1, WRQQ tweak their format to go after 94.5. Lew Dickey of Cumulus has been watching this go down since Grace Broadcasting sold 94.5 to this new group onwer now coming into the market. Hippie Radio 94.5 has a terrible signal towards the north and east because of WGSQ 94.7, in Cookeville.

My final thought is this, let’s just see how long Tony Richards can take the heat from Lew Dickey. It seem like Cumulus owns FM Radio market, the Lew has been suscessful over the years that I have known about him.

Like I said, if I was a betting man, Lew will have started to have 97.1, Classic Hits format to go after 94.5, and Lew has the money to bring out big promotions that will draw the target audience.

In the end, all this just is a “Political Game”, people get excited about it, and I sitting back thinking, what is there to get excited about? In the past 35 years, I’ve seen stations come and go, change format like a some “elite women” change clothes.

In the end, AM & FM will die as we know it because On Line Radio will take over, but that may be another 20 years from now, so I just sit back and I’m not thrilled over anything these group owners do. I will say this, in the next 10 years, somebody will flip to a Spanish Lanugage format on FM in Nashville. It’s coming, give it time.